Howie Roseman goes trade-crazy adding picks in Roob's Eagles-only mock draft
Roseman goes trade-crazy adding picks in Roob's Eagles-only mock draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
I could have had the Eagles selecting a player at 10 and I could have had them selecting a player at 30. But I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. Because I just don’t think Howie Roseman is going to keep those picks.
Let’s start with Roseman’s history. Since he became GM in 2010 – and not counting 2015, Chip Kelly’s ill-fated GM year – Roseman has made 46 trades either during the draft or in the few days leading up to it. That’s nearly four trades per year.
He’s only picked three times in the first round with the Eagles’ original pick – Fireman Danny at No. 23 in 2011, Lane Johnson at No. 4 in 2013 and Derek Barnett at No. 14 in 2017.
Just since he regained GM duties in 2016, he's traded 11 different 1st-round picks - the Eagles' own and picks he had already acquired.
In all, in the 12 drafts Roseman has overseen as GM – 2010 through 2014 and 2016 through 2022 – 33 players were taken with picks that started out with the Eagles and 60 were acquired by a trade. That means 65 percent of Roseman’s draft picks were made with picks acquired in a trade. (I didn’t include comp picks through 2015 because they couldn’t be traded until 2016.)
So just from a historical perspective, the odds favor Roseman trading one and possibly both 1st-round picks.
But this year is different because the Eagles go into the draft with only six picks – the two in the first round, plus one each in the second and third rounds and two in the seventh.
And with Jalen Hurts expected to sign a mammoth contract in the coming weeks, the one thing the Eagles need more than anything is young cost-controlled players. And the only way you get those is through the draft.
So six picks – including just four in the first six rounds – is the antithesis of what I believe Roseman wants out of this draft. What the Eagles need is picks. So this Eagles-only mock draft is loaded with them.
The Eagles go in with No. 10, 30, 62, 94, 219 and 248 and after a series of trades I have them actually picking at No. 12, 53, 61, 65, 67, 73, 151, 198 and 219.
So six picks turns into nine (plus 2nd- and 4th-round picks next year) and, more importantly, four picks in the first six rounds turns into eight.
Did I overdo it with the trades? Maybe. But I really do believe Roseman’s focus on draft weekend will be turning picks into more picks and turning players into more players.
For the sake of accuracy and fairness, each trade was made using offers generated by the Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator.
First Round
No. 10: Traded to Patriots along with No. 62 overall in the second round for No. 12 overall in the first round and No. 65 and No. 73 in the third round: Howie Roseman trades down two spots in the first round and three spots in the second round and gains an additional early third-round pick. And even though he’s trading out of the second round, he gets to pick twice within the first 10 picks of the third round. We know Roseman wants assets, and this trade allows him to create a Day 2 pick while still giving him the opportunity to land an elite player at No. 12. And that player is …
No. 12 (Acquired from Patriots) CB, Devon Witherspoon, Illinois: Despite dropping down two spots, Roseman is still able to snag one of the top cornerbacks, giving the Eagles their first 1st-round defensive back since Lito Sheppard 21 years ago. Even though the Eagles committed to Darius Slay and James Bradberry for at least 2023 and probably 2024, it’s never too early to land an heir apparent. Witherspoon can learn from two Pro Bowlers while working into the rotation immediately in sub packages. If you think it’s a waste of a pick because of Slay and Bradberry, remember Bobby Taylor was 29 and Troy Vincent 32 and coming off a Pro Bowl when the Eagles drafted Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Bradberry and Slay are the exact same ages as Taylor and Vincent were in 2002. Every year, the NFL becomes more of a passing league, and you really need elite corners and receivers more than ever to contend for a championship. The Eagles have both, but drafting Witherspoon will go a long way toward making sure that remains the case. Witherspoon is a stud in coverage, but Eagles fans will love his thunderous hits and physical mentality.
No. 30 Traded to Bears for No. 53 in the second round, No. 61 in the second round and the Bears’ 2nd-round pick in 2024: After starting the day with only four picks in the first six rounds, Roseman pulls off a second trade to add assets – in this case the Eagles’ second pick in the first round turns into two 2nd-round picks this year and another one next year. When you’re about to sign a quarterback to a deal worth somewhere around $50 million per year, you have to rely on draft picks – cost controlled and relatively inexpensive – to build your roster. The more picks you have, the better odds you have on hitting on multiple picks. In all, the Eagles’ two 1st-round trades turned No. 10, 30 and 62 into No. 12, 53, 61, 65 and 73 this year along with an additional 2nd-round pick next year.
Second Round
No. 53 (Acquired from Bears) Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa: With Campbell, the Eagles get themselves a Day 2 linebacker for the third time in the last four years, following Davion Taylor in the third round in 2020 and Nakobe Dean in the third round last year. He’s the first linebacker Roseman will have drafted in the first two rounds since Mychal Kendricks in 2012. In Dean and Nick Morrow, the Eagles have athletic, undersized linebackers, but Campbell stands 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, and although he was very good in coverage at Iowa, he’s a real thumper, a sound tackler and a willing run defender. Campbell was the 2022 winner of the Butkus Award given to the nation’s best linebacker. He’d be the second consecutive Butkus Award winner the Eagles have drafted. Dean won the award for Georgia last year.
No. 61 (Acquired from Bears) Derick Hall, Edge, Auburn: You knew Roseman wasn’t going to get out of the second round without an offensive or defensive lineman, and Hall is an intriguing prospect late in the second round. At 6-3, 255 pounds, he’s an explosive pass rusher who knows how to finish once he gets close to the quarterback. Like Witherspoon and Campbell, Hall is a physical beast who doesn’t shy away from contact. He had 24 tackles for loss, 15 ½ sacks and four forced fumbles the last two years. Only Alabama’s Will Anderson had more sacks in the SEC since 2021. One of only seven players in the BCS with 24 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, four forced fumbles and 100 tackles over the last two seasons. The Eagles do have Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Derrick Barnett back, but Graham is 35 and unsigned beyond this year, Barnett is unsigned beyond this year and hasn’t lived up to expectations and Sweat is due to become a free agent after 2024, so adding a young edge to learn from those veterans this year and move into a significant role next year makes a lot of sense.
No. 62: Traded to Patriots
Third Round
No. 65 (Acquired from Patriots) Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati: With Zach Pascal gone, Quez Watkins coming off a disappointing season and up for free agency after this year and no drafted receivers on the roster after A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Eagles need to start thinking about replenishing the position with some young talent. As brilliant as Brown and Smith are, there’s no proven, reliable depth behind them. Scott is an interesting prospect, a true speedster who ran 4.44 at the Combine and plays fast on film. He had a breakthrough season this past fall for the Bearcats, with 54 catches for 899 yards but most importantly nine touchdowns and a 16.6 average. Overall, he was one of just four receivers in the BCS to average 17.0 yards per catch with at least 14 TDs over the last two seasons. Plus, the last three players the Eagles drafted out of Cincinnati are Trent Cole, Brent Celek and Jason Kelce. Not a bad track record.
No. 73 (Acquired from Patriots) Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M: It’s been a while since the Eagles drafted a safety on Day 1 or Day 2. You have to go back to Temple’s Jaiquawn Jarrett in the second round 12 years ago and Nate Allen before that. It looks like they may have found a starter in undrafted Reed Blankenship, and they’ve got a one-year stopgap in veteran Terrell Edmunds, but you know the Eagles would love to finally develop a safety of their own and let him grow alongside Blankenship so they don’t have to keep signing one-year guys and then starting from scratch the next year. Johnson has good size at 6-3, 200, and is a smart, tough, physical player who loves to support the run and is solid in coverage.
No. 94: Traded to Giants along with No. 248 in seventh round for No. 128 in fourth round and a 4th-round pick in 2024. Roseman continues adding assets by turning what is now one of three 3rd-round picks into a 4th-rounder this year and another one next year. Roseman has now added a 2nd-rounder and a 4th-rounder next year in addition to all the assets he’s added in this year’s draft.
Fourth Round
No. 128 (acquired from Giants) Traded to Seahawks for No. 151 overall in fifth round and No. 198 overall in sixth round: Roseman takes that 4th-rounder he got from the Giants in exchange for the 94th pick overall and turns around and ships it to the Seahawks for 5th- and 6th-round picks. There’s just no way Howie is going to let two rounds go by without drafting. So now, after starting out with two 1st-round picks, one 2nd-round pick, one 3rd-rounder and two 7th-rounders, he’s got one 1st-rounder, two 2nd-rounders, two 3rd-round picks, one 5th, one 6th and one 7th (plus a 2nd and a 4th next year).
Fifth Round
No. 151 (acquired from Seahawks) Jarrett Patterson, OG, Notre Dame: With his first pick since the middle of the third round, Roseman finally addresses the offensive line, and in Patterson he gets Jeff Stoutland a nice interior line project to develop. The Eagles don’t have an immediate need for an interior lineman, with Landon Dickerson at left guard, Jason Kelce still the best center in the business and Cam Jurgens at right guard and waiting in the wings to move to center. And Sua Opeta and Jack Driscoll providing depth. But Roseman loves drafting offensive linemen, and Patterson is a long-range prospect who’s smart and tough and just needs a year or two at Stoutland U. to work on his technique and get stronger. Interesting to note that the last interior lineman the Eagles drafted out of Notre Dame was Bob Kuechenberg in the fourth round in 1969. The Eagles released him that preseason, but he went on to become a six-time Pro Bowler for the Dolphins in the 1970s and 1980s.
Sixth Round
No. 198 (acquired from Seahawks) - Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State: Vaughn’s father Chris is assistant director of college scouting for the Cowboys, so maybe they’ll draft him way too early. But if he’s on the board here this would be a terrific pick for the Eagles. Because he’s 5-5, 180 pounds, Vaughn isn’t considered a big-time prospect, but you can’t argue with the production. Vaughn ran for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns and a 6.0 average in 2021 and 1,558 yards with nine more TDs and a 5.3 average this past year. He ranked ninth in the BCS in rushing in 2021 and eighth this past year. Over the past two seasons, he had the 3rd-most yards, 8th-most TDs and 15th-highest per-carry average in the entire BCS. If anybody is going to value a talented 5-5 running back, it’s the team that’s gotten great production recently out of Darren Sproles and Boston Scott. Plus, how cool would it be to snag Chris Vaughn’s son before the Cowboys can.
Seventh Round
No. 219: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State: I just realized the way our draft board fell, this ends up being the only pick the Eagles are actually using that they began the draft with. Every other original pick was traded. Silvera began his career at Miami and played four years in Coral Gables before finishing his career with the Sun Devils. He’s a project, but potentially a powerful interior lineman who gives great effort against the run. He’s limited athletically and in terms of technique and has a long way to go before he can be an effective NFL player. But he plays hard, has a nasty streak and there’s enough to work with to take a shot on him in the seventh round, bring him into camp, let him learn from the veterans and give him a year on the practice squad and see what kind of progress he can make.
No. 248: Traded to Giants
